Club where rapper RichLord was shot was shut down by authorities

Authorities have temporarily shut down strip club Vlive in southeast Memphis, citing the recent fatal shooting there of local rapper RichLord and several other violent incidents, including a passerby who was fatally injured by stray bullet last year.

All told, police have been called to the club at 3659 S. Mendenhall Road on 64 occasions since March 2017, the Shelby County District Attorney General’s office said in a statement.

RichLord, a 32-yearold musician whose real name is Derrick Harris, was shot in the club shortly before 4 a.m. on June 10. He died this week of his injuries, police said.

He leaves five sons, ages 11, 10, 8, 7, and 5, said his nephew, LaDarius Booker. “He was cool, funny, outgoing and he was very serious about his rap career.”

The Shelby County District Attorney General’s office said surveillance videos showed patrons throwing gang signs, which led to a fight and shots being fired in the club.

Another man, Marcquis Hymon, was shot and survived, the DA’s office said.

The police department said earlier this week that two other people were injured in the June 10 altercation besides the victim who died — the reason for the discrepancy in the number of victims wasn’t immediately clear.

On Nov. 8, the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission and vice detectives seized 242 bottles of liquor, the DA’s office said, adding that the club does not have a license to sell liquor.

The club had seen another shooting on June 30, 2017. A stray bullet hit a man who was driving nearby, 24year-old Darrell Hinton, who died of his injuries on May 19 of this year, the DA’s office said.

The DA’s office also pointed to other problems in the club, including a May 20 gang-related fight in which a female patron was shot in the leg.

Reached by phone Thursday, club manager Reggie Gray said he couldn’t comment in detail. “We’re still trying to finalize all the stuff that’s going on right now.” But he said the authorities have exaggerated the problems and are improperly tying the stray bullet killing to the club. “That doesn’t have anything to do with us.”

Club owners have a chance to appear in court at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and could argue for reopening the club, the prosecutor’s office said.